Art of distilling hydrocarbon material



EDGAR m. cr-Anx, or NEW YORK, N. Y.,

PATENT OFFICE.-

ASSIGNOR 'ro STANDARD nnvnnornnn'r COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

ART OF DISTILLING HYDROCARBON MATERIAL.

No Drawing.

The present invention relates to the art of distilling petroleum residues and will be fully understood from the following description of a method embodying it.

In accordance with the present invention crude oil is reduced, by fire and steam distillation, to a pitch of the consistency which is, in ordinary practice, further reduced to coke by direct heating with fire alone. A pitch of this character may have a specific gravity varying from 1.050 to 1.100 and a melting point of from 95 F. to 185 F. or higher". The proportion which the pitch bears to the original crude oil may vary, and depends largely upon the character of the crude. For example, a pitch of the character indicated will represent ordinarily about 8% of the crude in the case of mid-continent oils.

In prior practice it has been customary to subject the pitch directly to coking by direct heat, whereby extensive decomposition or cracking takes place, resulting in high gas losses and the formation of products which sufler high losses on refining.

In accordance with the present invention the treatment of the pitch results in products of better quality, and which suffer lower refining losses than the products resulting from the prior coking practice. The improvement in product is particularly marked in the case of the higher boiling point products, such as wax-bearing oil and wax, the behavior of which during subsequent manufacturing operations is greatly improved.

In treating pitch in accordance with the present invention, it is slowly run into a cokstill in which steam is introduced, preferab y both near the bottom and at a higher point within the still. After a small amount of itch has been charged into the still, it is red, and distillation with, fire and steamis continued while the pitch continues to flow into the still, charging and distillation thus proceeding simultaneously. working on a 400 bbl. charge, about 10 hours may suitably be allowed for the charging operation. After the charging of the still has been completed, the distillation with fire and steam is continued until the still wax comes ofi. The steam is then discontinued, the itch residue being still in a plastic condition. Firing is continued until the production of coke is completed.

The distillate from the pitch is in general With a still Application filed January 17, 1921 Serial No. 437,998.

more than 50% of the pitch distilled, and v has, in individual instances'of the practice of my invention, been as high as 72%. This distillate is subjected to distillation with steam by the customary refinery methods, the products therefrom comprising ,lierosene, gas oil, and paraflin distillate. The

last mentioned product may be chilled and pressed for wax, and the pressed oil may subsequently be steam reduced with the' formation of gas oil and lubricating oil. The products of redistilla'tion may be refined by the methods customary in the art.

The following example shows results obtained in a specific instance in accordance with the present invention.

EmampZa-The pitch treated represented an 8% residue on mid-continent crude. The first distillation in accordance with this inyention from a charge of 400 bbls. resulted in :ryield of 287 bbls. distillate, a loss including gas equivalent to 18 bbls., the remainder being coke. From the 287 bbls. of distillate, on redistillation 57 bbls. of water white and gas oil were obtained, 198% bbls. of paraflin distillate, a loss, including gas, equivalent to 9 bbls. and some coke. On

pressing and subsequent distillation the parafiin distillate yielded 127 bbls. gas oil "of 338 B., 62 bbls. solar red oil, a loss equivalent to 1 bbl. and the remainder wax. The loss in treating the solar red oil amounted to 1 bbls. The total loss in working up the pitch distillate was 2% bbls.

Although the present invention has been described in connection wit-h'specific details of procedure, it is not intended that these shall be regarded as limitations 'upon the scope of the invention, except in so far as included in the accompanying claims.

I claim:

1. The process of producing useful hydrocarbon materials which comprises subjecting the pitch residue resulting from the steam distillation of hydrocarbon oils to heat while supplying steam thereto until still wax distills over, then stopping the supply of steam and continuing the heating of the residue to .the formation of coke.

2. The process of producing useful hydrocarbon materials which comprises slowly feeding the pitch residue resulting from 'the steam distillation of hydrocarbon oils into a still and at the same time heating the still and supplying steam thereinto, continuing the heating of the still while supplying steam thereinto until still wax distills over, then stopping the supply of steam and continuin the heating of the still to the formation 0 coke.

3. The process of producing useful hydrocarbon materials which comprises feeding ,the pitch residue resulting from the steam distillation of hydrocarbon oils into a still.

at the rate of about 10% of the charge per hour, at the same time heating the still and supplying steam thereinto, continuing the heating of the still after it is fully charged while supplying steam thereinto until still wax distills over, then stopping the supply of steam and continuin the heating of the still to the formation 0 coke.

4. The process of producing useful hydrocarbon materials which comprises subjecting the pitch residue resulting from .the steam distillation of hydrocarbon oils to heat while supplying steam thereinto and stopping the supply of steam when the still wax distills over.

5. The process of producing useful hydrocarbon materials which comprises slowly feeding the pitch residue resulting from the steam distillation of hydrocarbon oils into a still and at the same time heating the still and supplying steam the'reinto and continuing the heating of the still after it is fullycharged while supplying steam thereinto and stopping the supplyof steam when the'still wax distills over.

EDGAR M. CLARK. 

